design miami/ 2017 is a global forum that brings together collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics. the program sees the world's top galleries display museum-quality exhibitions of twentieth and twenty-first century furniture, lighting and objets d'art. balancing commercial opportunities with cultural programming, each show presents collaborations with design institutions, panels and lectures with influencers from the creative sector, and commissions from emerging and established designers and architects. occurring alongside the art basel fairs in miami, USA each december, and in basel, switzerland each june, design miami/ has become a premier venue for exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design.

design miami/ basel 2017 is a global forum for design, where the world's leading galleries gather to present museum-quality exhibitions and installations of furniture, lighting and art objects. held annually every june in basel, switzerland, the show balances commercial opportunities with cultural programming - from a platform of panels and lectures ranging from design, architecture, art and fashion; to special commissions from both emerging and established creatives.

for the 2017 editions of design miami/, gallery ALL asked chinese architect ma yansong — founder of MAD architects — to create a new collection of furniture influenced by the red planet. titled ‘MAD martian’, the series is the result of a two year research and design development process, which began with the question: what would the chinese colonization of a martian planet look like?

ma yansong photographed among the collection all images courtesy of gallery ALL

presented at design miami/ basel 2017, the ‘MAD martian’ series expands on ma yansong’s ‘shanshui city’ design philosophy, which integrates elements of traditional chinese landscape design and painting into large-scale urban architecture. the furniture collection continues this same methodology, but conveys it through a sci-fi narrative. evidence of the 1960s space race aesthetic is visible in the suspension lights, while the candelabras are partly informed by films such as alien and blade runner.

the project started with a conversation between yu wang, co-founder and director of gallery ALL, and ma yansong about the theme of ‘MAD martian’, and what a furniture collection of chinese interplanetary pioneers would look like. joined by consulting creative director lou weis, the team’s focus quickly turned to researching the history and current material language of science fiction movies, with specific reference to colonization of other planets.

the MAD martian candelabra is inspired by the root systems of plants

the pieces are designed to stand-alone or as part of a cluster

‘sometimes I think ma yansong can talk to aliens,’ says wang yu, co-founder of gallery ALL.‘his architectural works are breathtakingly avant-garde in some way that makes the audience feel they stepped into another world. I challenged him to design a living space for martians; he wants to make martians feel on earth.’

the candelabra comes in either bronze or stainless steel

the collection considers the idea of intergalactic explorers coming to terms with their new environment — the changes in the seasons, the different rise and fall of the sun, and the emergence of distinct flora and fauna. consequently, ma yansong designed the decorative language of their interior spaces as a hybrid condition, balancing a sense of nostalgia for earth alongside a reflection of the martian environment.

the MAD martian dining table appears as an inverted mountain range

in developing the series, ma yansong posited that, in the future, highly advanced materials will ‘catapult those lucky chosen ones into safe extra-terrestrial environments, beyond the apocalypse’. to convey this, the first seven pieces in the collection have been made using both old and new techniques — combining CNC, 3D printing, and advanced mold-making with artisanal skills, such as hand polishing across incredibly complex surfaces.

the large piece is made from CNC’d aluminum

the ‘MAD martian’ collection debuted at design miami/basel in june 17-22, 2017, offering another preview during design miami/ 2017 in december. the series constitutes an ongoing series of in-house commissions by LA and beijing-based gallery ALL, whose focus is increasingly turning towards emerging and established chinese designers.

the MAD martian suspension lights are made from polyurethane and bronze

more pieces will be added to the ‘MAD martian’ collection later in the year image by james harris

the project started with a conversation between yu wang, co-founder of gallery ALL, and ma yansong image by james harris

the collection is presented at the 2017 edition of design miami/ basel image by james harris

design miami/ basel is a global forum for design, where the world’s leading galleries gather to present museum-quality exhibitions and installations of furniture, lighting and art objects. held annually every june in basel, switzerland, the show balances commercial opportunities with cultural programming — from a platform of panels and lectures ranging from design, architecture, art and fashion; to special commissions from both emerging and established creatives.

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